Yes the cracked tubes appears to be a common complaint that they have not adressed - their packaging does not protect them during shipping. Mine was also a 4 filter set.
Same price to here - mine was NZ$549. I see they put out a 'Black' set with black glass lids and back panel, better stand, concealed light, canister filter etc but I think only sold in Australia and the UK.
Just as a caution- when I was setting up my BCBS I did trials on all the clay-type litter I could find at the time including the one you have (if it is the essentials cat litter from countdown), it held up for a few weeks in my testing, but started to break down & go quite soft, almost mushy after about 8 weeks. I did this testing a few years ago now tho, so you might be sweet. I'd just keep an eye on it as if it does start to break down, you'll have to pull it all out & replace it going off of what I've read of others' experiences online. The "Value" cat litter (in the white bags with blue lettering I think it is) is the one I ended up using. It gets a bit softer after a year or so of use, but it holds its form & has not turned to mush after a good 2 & half years of use (yet). Where did you get your mesh? It looks much easier to use than the high-flow weed mat I use atm. Love how resourceful you were at gathering your iron source- I was not nearly as resourceful just using the standard fluorite lol. I got the fluorite when it was on special & have used maybe 1/3 of the bag thus far setting up bcbs over plenums & in pond baskets in my tubs & bathtub pond so it has been quite cost-effective. Good call not going for a clay-based aquatic soil for your dirt side- it works well for a few years then compacts IME & that is when the plants start to struggle & algae issues start popping up- at least that is what happened in my clay based dirted tanks anyway & why I stopped doing them. Looking forward to seeing how your experiment plays out! I'm almost tempted to record the process of setting up my next tank for my wild betta, as I find watching other people's processes fascinating. If you are still puzzling over filtration, I tried one of the smaller Bunnings pond pumps with the relevant prefilter sponge intake attachment on myAqua One 980 when I did my riverscape- the flow was perfect for all my hillstream species, although not sure anything other than the specialist hillstream species would have enjoyed the flow tbh lol- it was a nice solid flow, but without being too over the top. I used the Aquapros 1050L p/h pump & the small prefilter sponge kit.
Lots of useful tips, especially the 'value' brand. I had heard that kitty litter does not stand up in the long term so I have built over the top to try to keep it in place. I can, kind of, observe it through the side glass but I suspect the scientic value and sustainable performance of generic cat litter is for some, heading in the direction of an 'urban myth. To me, there needs to be more in the way of published studies, demostrating both its effectiveness and performance over the longer term. But it is certainly an interesting method to impliment and draw ones own conclusions from. Alas, mine is a 'fun' build which unfortunately will not provide any useful outcomes. I cut the mesh from a disused window insect screen - rolls of similar material are available from Bunnings. Yes, the commercial 'aquatic mix' that I originally used in my 980 turned into a hard pan exactly as you described - maybe more suited as a base layer in a small pond. I am still fine-tuning my flow method and will get some hillstream loaches once algae is established - I hope good flow and oxygen will stop them getting stressed during warmer summer temperatures. I have added some Glowlight Danios - wow - just so suited to a river tank, my minnows are no match for them. They are small, so not visually overscale and swim the rapids in a school. It is one of the few times that I genuinely think my fish are 'happy' in a tank environment. I have had to put mesh around my powerheads to prevent the 'sushi' effect! I hope that you do get to put up a video on your betta tank.
Best of both worlds Bob, great video
My uplift tubes were the same, got four for the set I got and two were cracked
Great experiment in the making👍
Yes the cracked tubes appears to be a common complaint that they have not adressed - their packaging does not protect them during shipping. Mine was also a 4 filter set.
Very interesting project…!!! I was looking at this same tank today at a pet shop near Melbourne which was on special for $499.
Same price to here - mine was NZ$549. I see they put out a 'Black' set with black glass lids and back panel, better stand, concealed light, canister filter etc but I think only sold in Australia and the UK.
Just as a caution- when I was setting up my BCBS I did trials on all the clay-type litter I could find at the time including the one you have (if it is the essentials cat litter from countdown), it held up for a few weeks in my testing, but started to break down & go quite soft, almost mushy after about 8 weeks. I did this testing a few years ago now tho, so you might be sweet. I'd just keep an eye on it as if it does start to break down, you'll have to pull it all out & replace it going off of what I've read of others' experiences online.
The "Value" cat litter (in the white bags with blue lettering I think it is) is the one I ended up using. It gets a bit softer after a year or so of use, but it holds its form & has not turned to mush after a good 2 & half years of use (yet).
Where did you get your mesh? It looks much easier to use than the high-flow weed mat I use atm.
Love how resourceful you were at gathering your iron source- I was not nearly as resourceful just using the standard fluorite lol. I got the fluorite when it was on special & have used maybe 1/3 of the bag thus far setting up bcbs over plenums & in pond baskets in my tubs & bathtub pond so it has been quite cost-effective.
Good call not going for a clay-based aquatic soil for your dirt side- it works well for a few years then compacts IME & that is when the plants start to struggle & algae issues start popping up- at least that is what happened in my clay based dirted tanks anyway & why I stopped doing them.
Looking forward to seeing how your experiment plays out! I'm almost tempted to record the process of setting up my next tank for my wild betta, as I find watching other people's processes fascinating.
If you are still puzzling over filtration, I tried one of the smaller Bunnings pond pumps with the relevant prefilter sponge intake attachment on myAqua One 980 when I did my riverscape- the flow was perfect for all my hillstream species, although not sure anything other than the specialist hillstream species would have enjoyed the flow tbh lol- it was a nice solid flow, but without being too over the top. I used the Aquapros 1050L p/h pump & the small prefilter sponge kit.
Lots of useful tips, especially the 'value' brand. I had heard that kitty litter does not stand up in the long term so I have built over the top to try to keep it in place. I can, kind of, observe it through the side glass but I suspect the scientic value and sustainable performance of generic cat litter is for some, heading in the direction of an 'urban myth. To me, there needs to be more in the way of published studies, demostrating both its effectiveness and performance over the longer term. But it is certainly an interesting method to impliment and draw ones own conclusions from. Alas, mine is a 'fun' build which unfortunately will not provide any useful outcomes.
I cut the mesh from a disused window insect screen - rolls of similar material are available from Bunnings.
Yes, the commercial 'aquatic mix' that I originally used in my 980 turned into a hard pan exactly as you described - maybe more suited as a base layer in a small pond.
I am still fine-tuning my flow method and will get some hillstream loaches once algae is established - I hope good flow and oxygen will stop them getting stressed during warmer summer temperatures. I have added some Glowlight Danios - wow - just so suited to a river tank, my minnows are no match for them. They are small, so not visually overscale and swim the rapids in a school. It is one of the few times that I genuinely think my fish are 'happy' in a tank environment. I have had to put mesh around my powerheads to prevent the 'sushi' effect!
I hope that you do get to put up a video on your betta tank.